The Gestalt Principles
Gestaltis a psychology term which means "unified whole". It refers to theories ofvisual perceptiondeveloped by German psychologists in the 1920s. These theories attempt to describe how people tend to organize visual elements intogroupsorunified wholeswhen certain principles are applied. These principles are:
Similarity
Similarityoccurs whenobjects look similarto one another. People often perceive them as a group or pattern.
The example above (containing 11 distinct objects) appears as assingle unitbecause all of the shapes havesimilarity.
Unity occurs because the triangular shapes at the bottom of the eagle symbollook similarto the shapes that form the sunburst.
When similarity occurs, an object can be emphasised if it isdissimilarto the others. This is calledanomally.
The figure on the far right becomes a focal point because it isdissimilarto the other shapes.
Continuation
Continuation occurs when the eye is compelled tomove throughone object andcontinueto another object.
Continuation occurs in the example above, becausethe viewer's eye will naturally follow a line or curve.The smooth flowing crossbar of the "H" leads the eye directly to the maple leaf.
Closure
Closureoccurs when an object isincompleteor a space is notcompletely enclosed. If enough of the shape is indicated, people percieve the whole by filling in the missing infomation.
Although the panda above is not complete, enough is present for the eye to complete the shape. When theviewer's perception completes a shape,closureoccurs.
Examples
Proximity
Proximityoccurs when elements are placed close together. They tend to be perceived as a group.
The nine squares above are placed without proximity. They are perceived asseparate shapes.
When the squares are given close proximity, unity occurs. While they continue to be separate shapes, they are now perceived asone group.
The fifteen figures above form aunified whole(the shape of a tree) because of theirproximity.
Figure and Ground
The eye differentiates an object form its surrounding area. a form, silhouette, or shape is naturrally perceived asfigure(object), while the surrounding area is perceived asground(background).
Balancing figure and ground can make the perceived image more clear. Using unusual figure/ground relationships can add interest and sublety to an image.
Figure
The word above isclearly perceivedas figure with the surrounding white space ground.
In this image, the figure and ground relationshipschangeas the eye perceives the the form of a shade or the silhouette of a face.
This image usescomplexfigure/groundrelationshipswhichchangeupon perceiving leaves, water and tree trunk.